Fort Dodge man charged with felony burglary

A Fort Dodge man was caught red handed after stealing a case of beer and a compound bow from a garage in Stout on Sunday, and he now faces felony burglary charges as a result.
           
Officers arrested Barry Watts, age 31, in Butler County on a charge of Third Degree Burglary, a Class D felony. Nick Dix of Stout reported the theft from his garage at around 11:00 a.m. and followed Watts northbound at a high rate of speed before law enforcement authorities took over, apprehending him five miles north of New Hartford.
 
The suspect then allegedly admitted to the crime and claimed that “a friend of his” told Watts that the bow—valued at about $300—belonged to him. Dix runs a small shop and sells sporting supplies.
 
“It’d be unusual for a Fort Dodge guy to know where to go in Stout or even know that Stout would exist,” Grundy County Sheriff Rick Penning said.
           
Watts was booked into the Grundy County Jail and remains there on an $8,500 bond after appearing in court on Monday morning. Dix could not be reached for comment. 
 
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